NASCAR notebook: Tony Stewart loses co-primary sponsor Office Depot

Tony Stewart (14) and Greg Biffle (16) lead the pack at the start of Sunday’sNASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton. The race was not over at press time. Read more at savannahnow.com/sports.

HAMPTON — The sponsor search at Stewart-Haas Racing got a lot tougher when Tony Stewart learned Office Depot will not be coming back next year.

Not only does Stewart not have a sponsor for 22 races, teammate Ryan Newman still hasn’t replaced a void created by the U.S. Army removing its sponsorship for 12 races.

The office supply chain sponsored Stewart in 20 regular-season races and both all-star events. A team spokesman said Office Depot may want some relationship with the defending Sprint Cup Series champion, but not as a car sponsor.

Stewart has had two primary sponsors since he joined with businessman Gene Haas to create a new team in 2009. He replaced Old Spice with Mobil One after the 2010 season, but now he faces the challenge of finding two new primary sponsors.

Pit road fortified

In response to Mark Martin’s scary crash two weeks ago at Michigan International Speedway, pit road openings at Atlanta Motor Speedway were reconfigured.

Concrete barriers and barrels filled with river sand were added at the right-side edge of two openings on pit road that lead into the garage area.

Martin hit one of those openings at Michigan, impaling the side of his Toyota into the wall. He wasn’t hurt, but it created a lot of concern throughout the sport.

“It’s simple, but it will do the job,” track president Ed Clark said. “I don’t know if that’s the long-term solution, but it will work for this weekend.”

NASCAR announced it would review all pit road openings following Martin’s crash.

Gold medalists on hand

Three local Olympic gold medalists were at the track for Sunday’s race.

DeeDee Trotter, Vincent Hancock and Jamie Lynn Gray took pace car rides before the race, attended the drivers meeting and watched the race.

Trotter, of nearby Ellenwood, was a member of the 4x400 relay team and she won the bronze medal in the 400-meter run. Hancock, of Eatonton, won gold in skeet shooting; and Gray set an Olympic record in the 50-meter three-position women’s rifle event.

“Of course, NASCAR is huge, so you can’t not know anything about it,” Trotter said. “But I’ve never experienced it at this level. I love cars, and obviously I have a need for speed, whether it’s using my feet or in a car, and I definitely feel the adrenaline already. My heart is starting to pound because it’s just going to be so fast. I’m looking forward to being so close to the action.”